Man shot in Columbus was restaurant owner

Jonathan Javier Luna, 22, of Columbus, was in the Columbia County Jail Friday awaiting court on a charge of first-degree premeditated murder in connection with the fatal shooting.

Columbus Mayor Joe Hammer said the victim, Jose De Jesus Fuentes Hernandez, 42, of Columbus, and his family are well known and respected in the city.

Hernandez was the owner of the popular Tequila’s Bar and Grill restaurant, 126 S. Ludington St. The restaurant opened in 2000. It remained closed Friday, but there was a handwritten note on the door saying it would reopen at 11 a.m. Saturday.

“It’s not that this kind of thing doesn’t happen in a big city, but in the small town atmosphere, we care about everyone in our community,” Hammer said. “I want to acknowledge the cooperation of all law enforcement agencies that have come together and come close to solving this problem.”

Columbus Police Chief Dennis Weiner said a Columbus Police officer heard what sounded like fireworks downtown at 1:31 a.m. Thursday, along with 911 calls reporting a fight.

“When (the officer) arrived at the area, he found an adult male who had been shot,” Weiner said. “Life-saving measures were attempted, but the victim was pronounced deceased a short time later at Prairie Ridge Health.”

“A family is grieving the loss of the victims of gun violence,” Weiner said. “You need to be thinking of that family and praying for them. They’re going through a very difficult time right now. Hopefully, through the hard work that everyone has done, we can give them some closure, but of course, you can never replace a family member.”

Weiner said there is still a lot of work to be done, including interviewing Luna.

The motive is still under investigation, Weiner said, but there was an interaction between the two before the fatal shooting.

Weiner said Luna fled on foot down Dickason Boulevard toward Fuller Street.

“He lives on Fuller Street,” Weiner said. “The search was conducted on Fuller Street.”

Weiner said Luna was able to see the Columbia County Emergency Response Team arriving at his home because a neighbor was live-streaming the tactical situation.

Weiner said the task force drove to the Fuller Street residence in an armored vehicle to execute a search warrant.

“It was very dangerous to arrest this suspect in order to protect the community and hold someone accountable,” Weiner said. “One of the suspect’s neighbors felt the need to live stream his actions on Facebook. Our information is that the suspect was watching.”

Weiner said he hoped the person was happy about their moment of fame, but he himself was very unhappy with the situation.

“It was a very dangerous incident to pursue someone who had just killed someone,” Weiner said. “He was most likely armed. Fortunately, the suspect was not home. Had he been there, we could be here for a secondary outcome that I don’t really want to talk about.”

Weiner said he understood the man’s rights but believed the man should have used common sense.

The gun believed to have been used in the shooting was found on the path Luna fled, Weiner said. Several shell casings were found at the scene. A broken window was found at a business in the 100 block of South Ludington Street, outside of which the shooting occurred, and a bullet was recovered from the grille of a car parked about 100 feet away.

The public’s help was crucial to the arrest, Weiner said. Downtown business owners gave authorities video footage that enabled them to identify the suspect.

Luna was not home, but authorities used technology to locate him at the Microtel Inn & Suites in Madison, Weiner said. The Madison Police Department’s emergency response team executed a search warrant and Luna was taken into custody at 1:54 p.m. Thursday, about 12 hours after the shooting.

“The cooperation between the authorities in this case went smoothly,” Weiner said. “I am very proud of the teamwork of everyone on this case.”

Columbus Police were also assisted by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and its Emergency Response Team, Columbus Fire Department, Lifestar EMS, Fall River Police, Marshall Police, Wisconsin Department of Justice Criminal Investigation and Crime Lab, Wisconsin Department of Justice and the Columbia County District Attorney’s Office.